My Life: Vive le Paris!
by geororo
Summary: What if Athena had never been to the Royal Garden? What if she is living her life as an abandoned child on the streets of Paris? This is the story of the two unlikely couple; retold from a fresh perspective. *First part of the 'My Life' mini-series* -On Hold-


Hayate Ayasaki threw his gaze outside from the private train coach. He lets his mind wandering freely while enjoying the refreshing smell of the wild grass, of the baking soil and the warm summer air. The gentle wind blowing to his face, the vastness of the English moor spread wide before him and a journey to some foreign country with a train; all of that enthralled him very much.

_How blissful, it's such a nice day. I really wished that I could spend another day here, _contemplated the teenager, feeling slightly sorry for himself. Although he had spent most of his summer touring France, it felt as if only yesterday he had boarded a plane from the Narita International Airport.

He then averted his sight from the beauty of nature outside to the person sitting adjacent to him. The girl was fast asleep; her head leaned against the windowsill. She had soft-features, porcelain-white skin and beautiful pink lips. Her face was partially hidden by her golden hair and she had an expression as calm as the calmest wind. The waning afternoon sunlight had magnified her beauty even more, making her look even more angelic.

Hayate never realised that the girl was that beautiful. Although he had been in companion with the girl for quite some time now, Hayate never felt strangely like this before. His heart skipped a beat every time he looks at her peaceful countenance and realising the fact that they are alone in the coach made him fluster. Almost instantly, he gave himself a mind-slap and told himself to calm down. _What is wrong with you, _scolded the blue haired. _You were fine when you were with her yesterday. Get a hold of yourself, Hayate!_

Heaving a sigh, Hayate stood up and stretched his limbs. He lets out a yawn and reached for the door. _Perhaps I am just tired from the travelling. Nothing that some coffee can't fix. _Before he closed the door behind him, he took a look at the young female. She was without a doubt pretty. Something however, made the perfect vision of beauty before him seems so… imperfect.

Finally, a cream-coloured blemish caught his attention. And as his curiosity caught hold of him, Hayate abandoned the idea of having his drink. He entered the coach again and bent forward to have a clear view of the stain that had tainted her perfect skin. He recognised the blemish as some cream from the crème brulee she had earlier. His lips formed a smile. _She really is a messy eater, isn't she? _

Gently, Hayate held her cheek before wiping the cream away. Much to his surprise however, he found himself staring into her deep red eyes.

A very awkward moment of silence fills the air between the two. Hayate froze while his brain was conjuring a reason for being so close to the face of a girl who was asleep, while holding her cheek, inside a closed private train coach. The young girl on the other hand, was a lot faster in her reaction. She spontaneously landed a tight slap onto Hayate's left cheek before stomping her way out. With her cheeks flushing, she lets out a humph and slammed the door shut.

Hayate rubbed his cheek with the large red hand-shaped imprint on it. He lets out a sigh once again. _How on earth did I let this girl come with me in the first place?_****

**-1 day ago -**__

"Here you go, your change sir. Thank you and please come again."

"You're welcome," replied Hayate to the waitress with a nod before stepping out from one of the many cafés on the street. His eyes were temporarily blinded by the bright summer sun. Using his arm as a shade, he could see the Eiffel Tower dominating the skyline of the city. He then turns his gaze to his surrounding. People around him were sitting in cafés in the area; chatting around with their companion, eating desserts leisurely or for some, looking for an inspiration for their next work of art. Hayate closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The delicious smell of freshly made pastry was heavenly. When Hayate opens his eyes again, they were literally sparkling from admiration.

"This place is better than I had originally imagined," paused the teenager with a smile. He glanced to his watch and picks up his luggage. "I guess I better go check into a hotel before doing anything else."

Hayate promptly walked over to the side of the road and waved his hand. "Taxi!" he called, but the vehicle drove past him without even slowing down. Hayate waited a few minutes more and another taxi showed up, but the same thing happens again. The taxi was already occupied by a passenger and the driver didn't even bother him at all. The teenager did not give up. He decided to wait for one last time. His luck however, took a turn for the worse and not a single taxi showed up for the next hour. He frowned. _How can a city like this don't even have enough taxi? _

The blue-haired carried his luggage and walked for a few minutes before he stumbled upon a car rental place. Posters of various cars adorned the glass walls of the place and a large banner that tells him the venue was having a promotion was hung above the shop's entrance. Hayate pondered for a moment before he decided to go into the shop.

A chime welcomes him as he enters the shop. The shopkeeper, a man aged around his forties immediately raised his face from the counter. Business had been really slow lately since most people now have the capability to buy their own car. He desperately needs customers if he intends on keeping the business alive. Although he knew that this might just be the time he should be looking for another job, he was still hoping that things would change soon. He promised himself that if he could get even a customer today, he would not give up on his shop. Upon seeing the prospective customer however, he raised an eyebrow almost instinctively. An adolescent of probably around 16-17 years old had just entered his shop. All traces of hope he had left in him vaporised at once.

The said adolescent noticed the man's slight change of expression but he dismissed it with a smile. "Hi, I would like to rent a car. Can I see your catalogue?" asked the adolescent casually.

"Excuse me, sir," said the man with the last word slightly stressed on, "but may I see your driving license?" Even though he was desperate, he did not want to be blamed if anything happens when a minor drives one of his rental cars.

He was astonished by the reaction he received. Initially, he expected the adolescent to make up some excuse such as forgetting their driving licence or offering him a bribe like the others before. The blue-haired however, merely smiled and fished out a small card from his trouser and handed it over to the man. The shopkeeper's expression immediately changed into a more welcoming one after looking at the document. "Forgive me about that, sir. It's just a standard procedure. Now, allow me to escort you to the parking lot. We have many cars that you would surely want to see."

* * *

><p>Barely half-an hour later, Hayate was cruising down the Avenue Des Champs-Élysées in a Bentley. He indulged himself during the 15-minute drive by watching the beautiful scenery and its people before pulling over near Le Marais. Armed with a brand new digital camera, the teenager joined a group of tourists before taking a stroll around the area while photographing the old buildings there.<p>

After a few minutes of walking and photographing, Hayate came across a street artist whom welcomed him to his place before showing Hayate some of the works of art he had been working on. The artist was obviously proud of every work he had produced, so much, that he could not stop himself from describing every single detail about the paintings to the teenager. He would go on and on and on telling the teenager about the motive of the painting, the types of paints he used, the techniques he had used to produce the painting etc. Despite all of that, Hayate wasn't the least interested on anything he had seen, simply because they were not to his liking.

The teenager however, was particularly attracted to a painting that depicts the image of a strange creature lifting a baby from its cradle. "Excuse me, what about this painting?"

"Oh, that," the artist answered, his eyebrows creased slightly, "it's not worth anything at all. An art collector told me that it's just a painting made by some amateur artist. Anyone can tell that by just taking a look at it."

Realising that he would not be able to sell anything to the teenager, the artist finally lost his enthusiasm and left Hayate on his own to wander around the place to entertain his other customers. The blue-haired used the opportunity to examine the painting. Somehow, it looked very familiar to a rumoured stolen painting he had heard about.

Hayate took a few steps backwards. _I wonder if the painting would look any different if I tilt my head like this. _ Suddenly, an empty feeling devoured him. Hayate instantly knew that he had slipped off one of the marble steps and found himself falling down. He shot his hand out to grab the railing beside him on impulse, but it was too late. Hayate almost lost his consciousness when his head smashed against the cold hard steps and by the time he landed face flat on the floor, it felt like he had been beaten up by a group of angry mob.

It took him a few moments before his spinning vision corrected itself. When it finally does, the first thing that ran through his mind was a question; _Am I dead?_

No matter how many times he blinked, his eyes kept telling him that he is staring at the face of a very beautiful girl. So beautiful, that she might have been the angel herself. The blue-haired however, was pulled back into reality when the girl moaned and opened her eyes. The piercing saffron eyes penetrated straight into him and although he commanded his body to move with all his might, he just could not escape himself from the brunette's gaze.

As for the girl, you can only imagine her surprise when she wakes up from the brief unconsciousness and found a teenage male right on top of her. Granted that she was startled from the suddenness of the incident, her instincts promptly took over. She pushed the blue-haired aside and sat right up, holding her forehead. She shook her head a few times and tried to stand up, but she immediately fell down. "Ouch…" cried the female almost inaudibly as she rubbed her knees. Her face winced as her fingers touched the scraped skin.

Hayate immediately got onto his feet and offered his hand. "I-I'm sorry miss. Here, let me help you up,"

Although she shot him with a scornful look, she accepted his hand and slowly stood up. Hayate could feel the softness of her hand as she grasped his. Only when she had fully stood up Hayate could observe her features. In comparison to him, she had a petite build and barely reached his height. Her delicate hand was as smooth as silk and her straight brown hair was coiled at her sides. She wore a simple red dress; simple, yet it made her look very cute. As for her eyes; the part of her that had captivated him was saffron and had a spark of determination in it. It took him a few moments before he snapped back into reality and bowed down as customary in Japan.

"I-I'm sorry miss." Apologised Hayate. The girl said noting but lets out a humph and turned her back before walking away. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Hayate quickly enters the shop again.

_That French girl sure is cute, _said the teenager inwardly. Hayate reached into his pocket to look for his wallet. He had made his mind up on buy that painting. _I'm sure_ _it will compliment my guest room perfectly_. Much to his surprise, it was not in his pocket. He quickly turned around, but the girl was already gone.


End file.
